“You want us to dig through Marla’s trash?” Cam asked, making a disgusted face.
“Fine. I’ll dig through her trash. You act as lookouts. In fact, maybe we should just take her trash with us to a safer location.”
“I’m not driving that night,” he replied.
“Jess can drive.”
“Only if we take your car, honey.”
“I have a Mini Cooper.”
“How much trash can she have?”
“Okay,” I said, reminding myself that they were doing me a favor. “We’ll take my car. You’ll drive. Cam can act as lookout and I’ll dig through the trash. If it seems unsafe to do so at that location I’ll take her trash. Does that work for everyone?” They both agreed and I hopped on the computer to check on trash pick-up times in Marla’s neighborhood.
“I think we should shoot for tomorrow night. We can go as soon as it gets dark and move fast. Hopefully, it won’t take more than an hour. And if we don’t get anything, then I’ll just have to think of something else.”
“We haven’t even thought about Mrs. Mason.”
“I know. I’ll have to give it some more thought.”
“So, do we get tonight off?” Jess asked.
“Sure, did you have plans?”
“No, how about you?”
“Braden wants me to come to game night with Mark and Adam again at his place.”
“Oh, are they watching the Phillies?” Cam asked.
“I guess. Do you guys want to come?”
“Sure!” Cam said enthusiastically.
“Sure,” Jess said, unenthusiastically.
At about six-fifteen Braden called up from the lobby and I buzzed him up. I went over to open the door when I heard him ring. He was standing in the hall with an adorable smile and I couldn’t help being charmed and smiling back. Then I heard it. A yip. I looked down. Way down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“What in the hell is that?”
“This is Bruno.”
“Bruno? Braden, that’s a Chihuahua. Naming him Bruno won’t make him a bigger dog.”
“That was the name he came with.”
“And whose dog is this, Braden?”
“Bruno,” he said, addressing the dog. “This is mommy.”
“Mommy? Braden, this isn’t a baby. This is a dog. A very small dog.”
“Your building had strict size requirements.”
“And what do you think that Bruno would do if I were attacked? Trip the guy?”
“He would bark and alert people that you were in distress.”
“He would bark and alert people that there was an annoying little yippy dog around and they should head the other way.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, addressing Bruno. “Daddy will convince her.”
“Daddy? We’re the parents of a Chihuahua?”
“You never know what the future holds. It would be good practice.”
“For when we had puppies?”
“Can we come in?” I stepped aside. Braden took Bruno off of his leash and he promptly checked the place out and made it his own by peeing on a rubber tree plant. Bruno, not Braden.
“Hey!” Jess exclaimed. “Here, doggy!”
“He answers to Bruno,” I explained.
“Bruno?” She looked confused.
“Apparently Braden and I have a Chihuahua together.”
“I hope he has primary custody,” she said, following Bruno as he headed toward her room. “Wait, doggy. Don’t go in there!”
“Hello, Cameron,” Braden said.
“Hello, Braden. Nice dog. And, um, why?”
“She needs protection. Didn’t she tell you about the letter?”
“A Chihuahua?”
“I promised her father I would get her a dog and her building doesn’t allow pets over twenty lbs. Do you know how small that is? Bruno can bark as well as a big dog can. He’ll alert people.”
“Who’s going to take care of Bruno when I’m at work? He’ll be all alone. And I’ll have to walk him in the evenings. He’ll have to wait all day to pee.” I glanced at the plant. “He’d better wait.”
“I arranged for doggy day care,” he answered.
“Doggy day care? Are you serious?”
“There’s a place right on the way to work. You can drop him off in the morning and pick him up on the way home. He’ll have other dogs to play with and the people there will walk him.”
“Did you check these people out? I mean are they a good place? The bigger dogs wouldn’t pick on him, would they?” I couldn’t help it. I’m a Jewish mother.
“More importantly, can they get him into the right colleges?” Cam added. Braden and I gave him an unamused look.